How Significantly Did The Position of Women Change, 1917-80?

Question 1

Impact of WW1

Women’s situation before WW1?

Answer 1

Women were still struggling to get right to vote

Question 2

Impact of WW1

Benefit of WW1for women?

Answer 2

Gave women a chance to work

Question 3

Impact of WW1

Setback of the benefit of women war work?

Answer 3

Wages were often less though, and when war ended women fired to open jobs for returning men

Question 4

Impact of WW1

Milestone gain from WW1 for women?

Answer 4

Congress passed the 19th amendment, giving women the vote

Question 5

Impact of WW1

When was the 19th amendment ratified?

Answer 5

18th August 1920

Question 6

Impact of WW1

What would women have to do with now having the vote?

Answer 6

Vote in large numbers so politicians would acknowledge them

Question 7

Impact of WW1

What womens voting organisation was set up in 1920?

Answer 7

League of Women Voters for voter registration drives - inspired by black CR

Question 8

Impact of WW1

Issue with the voting for many women?

Answer 8

Many poorer women and black women didn’t, especially in South - mainly middle class white women that saw it as significant

Question 9

The Roaring 20s

Why were the 1920s called ‘The Roaring Twenties’?

Answer 9

Economic boom that meant people were better off than before

Question 10

The Roaring 20s

Aspects of the 1920s economic boom

Answer 10

Mass production made goods cheaper and hire purchases made them easier to buy, road building made transport easier, widespread electrification led to appliance usage - quicker housework

Question 11

The Roaring 20s

Expectation of women after WW1?

Answer 11

Return to ‘normal’, with women going back to housewives/mothers. Many believed women’s war work was an exception and they shouldn’t fill up soldiers jobs

Question 12

The Roaring 20s

Women employment situation pre-WW1?

Answer 12

Single women had worked while married stayed home, and raised a family

Question 13

The Roaring 20s

Married women’s work position in 1920s?

Answer 13

Many who had to work had very low wages. Many jobs e.g. teachers were barred to married women

Question 14

The Roaring 20s

Single women’s work position in 1920s?

Answer 14

Mainly well off, white women, more open to change

Question 15

The Roaring 20s

What created more work in 1920s?

Answer 15

Changing industries created more office jobs e.g. typing pool, which became accepted as womens work.

Question 16

The Roaring 20s

What women’s work organisation was set up in 1920?

Answer 16

Women’s Bureau of Labour, to improve working conditions and campaign for wider employment

Question 17

The Roaring 20s

increase of employment of women from 1910-40

Answer 17

Increased by over 5.5 million (1.5% of population)

Question 18

The Roaring 20s

Setback of women employment 1910-40s

Answer 18

Paid less than men, usually in a ‘last hired, first fired’ situation

Question 19

The Roaring 20s

What were Flappers?

Answer 19

Young women that made the most of their independence

Question 20

The Roaring 20s

What did flappers do?

Answer 20

They worked, cut hair short, wore short dresses, drank and smoked in public, drove own cars, went to boxing, went to jazz clubs/speakeasies, enjoyed sexual freedom (behaved like young men)

Question 21

The Roaring 20s

Public reaction to flappers?

Answer 21

People were shocked by their mannerisms

Question 22

The Roaring 20s

Flappers impact on society?

Answer 22

Shifted perceptions of women

Question 23

The Roaring 20s

Setback of flappers impact of shifting perception of women?

Answer 23

Only a small %, and adopted traditions after marriage - the way employers behaved made sure of this

Question 24

Impact of the GD

Impact of the Depression?

Answer 24

Affected class rather than gender, bringing unemployment, low wages and high prices

Question 25

# Impact of the GD Who managed the Depression best?

Answer 25

Well-off people, unless they lost everything on the stock market. Middle class got by unless they had a failing business. Poor people had nothing to fall back on, suffered most

Question 26

# Impact of the GD How did women with families manage the GD?

Answer 26

If husbands kept work, they managed, or looked for work to supplement husbands income or replace it

Question 27

# Impact of the GD What happened to widowed, divorced, or deserted women during the GD?

Answer 27

Had to take any work they were offered

Question 28

# Impact of the GD What was in the 1932 Women's Bureau of Labour report?

Answer 28

In slaughtering and meat packing, 97% of women were working as sole earner or to boost husband

Question 29

# Impact of the GD What was the situation with the Women's Bureau in BOL?

Answer 29

Largely ignored due to its focus on women, some thought it was hindering progress - limited working hours, pushed for minimum wage (men had no MW)

Question 30

# Impact of the GD Impact of restricted hours?

Answer 30

Forced the poorest women to break rules or lose their jobs. Work like meat packing often required more than 10 hr day

Question 31

# Impact of the GD Where did many work regulations apply?

Answer 31

Mainly to industrial work, not farming or domestic service - where a large proportion were black and female

Question 32

# Impact of the GD What was the worse alternative to work?

Answer 32

Relief programmes, if their state had any, or the immigrant labour market

Question 33

# Impact of the GD What was the immigrant labour market like?

Answer 33

Enormous, Mexicans, Blacks, Europeans competing for bad pay, hard work in awful conditions. Women with families faced extreme difficulty in these circumstances

Question 34

# Impact of New Deal Womens situation after the GD?

Answer 34

Families under pressure in 1930s and burden of feeding them fell to women. New Deal admin understood this

Question 35

# Impact of New Deal What was the New Deal aid like?

Answer 35

Aid for families with dependnent kids had some benefits for the poorest, but men came first on unemployment and working conditions.

Question 36

# Impact of New Deal Example of aid for men?

Answer 36

Civilian Conservation Corps (1933-42) found work for young men. Worked in army camps

Question 37

# Impact of the New Deal How many young men were employed?

Answer 37

About 2.5 million

Question 38

# Impact of the New Deal What did Eleanor Roosevelts wife do in response to men work schemes?

Answer 38

Called for similar schemes for women in forestry. In 1933, first camp set up. 1934, she held conference for unemployed women, got them federally funded.

Question 39

# Impact of New Deal What was the growth of womens camps like?

Answer 39

By 1936, there was 36, taking only about 5000 women yearly

Question 40

# Impact of New Deal Limitation of the womens aid camps?

Answer 40

Only took women for about 3 months, hardly provided work or wages. Only training was budget management

Question 41

# Impact of New Deal Which women benefitted less from ND?

Answer 41

Black Americans, especially women. They were edged out worst jobs and earned much less.

Question 42

# Impact of New Deal Example of black women combatting these setbacks?

Answer 42

One black woman, Fannie Peck, set up houswives leagues in Detroit in 1930. Encouraged women to shop in black stores and organise help for less off. Spread locally - small scale

Question 43

# Impact of WW2 Affect of WW2 on USA?

Answer 43

Rescued USA from Depression

Question 44

# Impact of WW2 What chance did WW2 give women?

Answer 44

Once again, women showed they could do mens work well

Question 45

# Impact of ww2 Who became a symbol for womens work during WW2?

Answer 45

Iconic image of Rosie the riveter rolling up her sleeve on a msucled arm saying 'we can do it'.

Question 46

# Impact of WW2 What act before WW2 encouraged women work and what did it do?

Answer 46

The 1940 selective training and service act prepared men for military and women to fill their places e.g. shipbuilding, aircraft etc

Question 47

# Impact of WW2 How many married women worked in 1940?

Answer 47

Only 16% of them, because of childcare problems

Question 48

# Impact of WW2 What childcare act allowed more women to work?

Answer 48

The 1941 Lanhams Act childcare provision was extended

Question 49

# Impact of WW2 How many children were in childcare by 1944 due to the Lanham Act?

Answer 49

130,000

Question 50

# Impact of WW2 Impact of better childcare system for women work?

Answer 50

Percentage of married women working rose from 16% to 23%

Question 51

# Impact of WW2 What womens work organisation reformed and why?

Answer 51

The Womens Land Army of America to provide farm workers countrywide

Question 52

# Impact of WW2 What did the Womens Land Army do

Answer 52

Held workshops and had a publication - the womens land army newsletter